One of the masters of sales and relationship building is the late Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Inc., the cosmetics powerhouse.

She built a successful business that stands stronger and prouder each year with an average growth of about 28% per annum.  So what can we learn from this wonderful businesswoman?

First off, take a moment to consider one of her famous quotes:

“I have learned to imagine an invisible sign around each person’s neck that says, ‘Make me feel important!”.

To me, this is a powerful message… if I think about all of my relationships, whether they be business or personal (although the line is pretty blurry), the strongest ones are either where somebody has made me feel important, or vice versa.

My business is all about relationships… maintaining existing ones and building new ones.  In fact, I’d even go as far as saying that I’m in the relationship business.  I know that without the strength of my relationships, my businesses would not be as strong as they are.

Of course I’m not suggesting that my relationships are perfect… nobody can really make that claim.  But I do know that I work as hard as I can to maintain and strengthen them. I know I can do better, and I see the benefits almost immediately when I focus on any one.  But that’s just it… its a constant job, one that needs love and attention all the time.

So what are you doing to build and strengthen your relationships?  Who are you making feel important?  Has anybody ever made you feel important?  Think about the last time you were made to feel important, how nice that felt, and exactly what the other person did.  Now, think about how you can turn that around and try that today.  Let me know what you think.  Good luck.

To learn more about Mary Kay, check out what the American National Business Hall of Fame has to say about her.